The Ministry of Human Resources is working with several big companies to help provide employment opportunities for workers in this group.
The government’s third tranche of wage subsidy programme has helped keep 1.53 million workers in employment.
Up till June 2022, more than 150,000 people have obtained employment through the Malaysian Family Job Guarantee Initiative.
ESG-focused development programmes and projects will be prioritised in the country’s Budget 2023, according to the finance minister.
Malaysia recently announced that workers could apply for flexible working arrangements with their companies from September 1.
Among other objectives, the new scheme will aim to develop more talents to support the country's digital workforce.
More thought must go into how this working arrangement can work, says the country’s Public Service Department.
Employers can tap a huge labour force that includes women and university students not able to work full time, says former minister.
Companies want to decide on the kind of flexible working arrangements that meet their needs and not be dictated to about such arrangements.
From September 1, employees can submit written applications that can cover changes in working hours, working days and also the place of work.
A four-day work week is not practical as Malaysia is currently facing low productivity and labour problems, businesses argue.
Too many unions at the workplace will deter international investment, said the Malaysian Employers Federation.
Taking effect on September 1, these include the extension of maternity leave and readjusting the maximum weekly hours of work.
The unemployment rate for youths aged 15 to 24 reached a 10-month low of 12.8% in April, falling by 3,800 to 357,200 over the month.
This will provide financial support for employees and their families when necessary, said the Social Security Organisation.
Job vacancies advertised online in Malaysia soared up to 159,148 in the first quarter of 2022 compared to 90,218 in the same quarter last year.
The HR Ministry has urged government-linked companies and private firms to implement menstrual leave policies without waiting for legislation.
The deployment of the fifth-generation network (5G) in the country has been projected to create about 148,000 new jobs.
Malaysia’s labour market momentum escalated in the first quarter of 2022 as both demand and supply ascended further.
A social accountability scheme will advance the sustainability efforts of companies and will be in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
Malaysia's Parliament has amended the Employment Act, which will extend the three-day paternity leave to seven days.
The number of employed persons rose to a record high of 15.77 million in March 2022 from 15.73 million in the preceding month.
The SME Association of Malaysia has cautioned that businesses may shutter or cut manpower if the costs of basic wages are too high to shoulder.
The labour force has been recovering gradually since 2021, and a stronger recovery is expected this year, said the finance minister.
The government is concerned over the needs and welfare of some four million Malaysians working in the gig economy.
The new minimum wage rate of RM1,500 (US$344) has been officially gazetted and took effect nationwide on May 1.
The increase in workers’ wages will raise business cost and stall the economic recovery of businesses, said business organisation.
The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) has come under fire over a call to cut the wages of employees working from home.
The government has channeled RM20.68 billion (US$4.78 billion) to 357,703 employers via its Wage Subsidy Programme (WSP) as of April 8.
Beside the wage hike, the government also aims to create 300,000 jobs for the homeless this year, under its Zero Homelessness Initiative.
